"Haleakalā on the nearby island of Maui. Both Molokai and Maui are parts of what used to be the much larger prehistoric island of Maui Nui, to which the species appears to have been endemic. The bird evidently shared the island with another moa-nalo—the smaller small-billed moa-nalo—which, from the sites from which its remains have been recovered, appears to have been largely restricted to upland areas over 1100 m in altitude, while the large-billed species occupied the lowlands. It was larger than its only congener, the O'ahu moa-nalo. Maui Nui large-billed moa-nalo The Maui Nui large-billed moa-nalo (""Thambetochen chauliodous""), also"
"Dinornis The giant moa (""Dinornis"") is an extinct genus of birds belonging to the moa family. Like all Moas it was a member of the order Dinornithiformes. It was endemic to New Zealand. Two species of ""Dinornis"" are considered valid, ""Dinornis novaezealandiae"" of the North Island, and ""Dinornis robustus"" of the South. In addition, two further species (new lineage A and lineage B) have been suggested based on distinct DNA lineages. ""Dinornis"" may have been the tallest bird that ever lived, with the females of the largest species standing tall, and one of the most massive, weighing or in various"
"spotted kiwi, at and . At least nine species of moa lived in New Zealand before the arrival of humans, ranging from turkey-sized to the giant moa ""Dinornis giganteus"" with a height of and weighing about . They became extinct by A.D. 1400 due to hunting by Māori settlers, who arrived around A.D. 1280. ""Aepyornis maximus"", the ""elephant bird"" of Madagascar, was the heaviest bird ever known. Although shorter than the tallest moa, a large ""A. maximus"" could weigh over and stand up to tall. Accompanying it were three other species of ""Aepyornis"" as well as three species of the"
"Haast's eagle The Haast's eagle (""Hieraaetus moorei"") is an extinct species of eagle that once lived in the South Island of New Zealand, commonly accepted to be the Pouakai of Maori legend. The species was the largest eagle known to have existed. Its massive size is explained as an evolutionary response to the size of its prey, the flightless moa, the largest of which could weigh . Haast's eagle became extinct around 1400, after the moa were hunted to extinction by the first Māori. Haast's eagle was first described by Julius von Haast in 1871 from remains discovered by F."
"Poukai In Māori mythology, the pouakai or poukai is a monstrous bird. In some of these legends pouakai kill and eat humans. The myth may refer to the real but now extinct Haast's eagle: the largest known eagle species, which was able to kill adult moa weighing up to , and which had the capability to kill a small child. Haast's eagles, which only lived in the eastern and northwestern South Island of New Zealand, did not become extinct until around two hundred years after the arrival of Māori. Pouakai are depicted in early rock-shelter paintings in South Canterbury. Large"
"most pronounced sexual dimorphism of all moa, with females being up to 150% as tall and 280% as heavy as males. The cladogram below follows a 2009 analysis by Bunce ""et al."": Prior to the arrival of humans, the giant moa had an ecologically stable population in New Zealand for at least 40,000 years. The giant moa, along with other moa genera, were wiped out by Polynesian settlers, who hunted it for food. All taxa in this genus were extinct by 1500 in New Zealand. It is generally accepted that the Māori still hunted them at the beginning of the"
"Diprotodon Diprotodon, meaning ""two forward teeth"", is the largest known marsupial to have ever lived. Along with many other members of a group of species collectively known as the ""Australian megafauna"", it existed from approximately 1.6 million years ago until extinction some 46,000 years ago (through most of the Pleistocene epoch). ""Diprotodon"" species fossils have been found in sites across mainland Australia, including complete skulls and skeletons, as well as hair and foot impressions. Female skeletons have been found with babies located where the mother's pouch would have been. The largest specimens were hippopotamus-sized: about from nose to tail, standing"
"fifteenth century, although some models suggest extinction had already taken place by the middle of the 14th century. Although some birds became extinct due to farming, for which the forests were cut and burned down and the ground was turned into arable land, the giant moa had been extinct for 300 years prior to the arrival of European settlers. Dinornis The giant moa (""Dinornis"") is an extinct genus of birds belonging to the moa family. Like all Moas it was a member of the order Dinornithiformes. It was endemic to New Zealand. Two species of ""Dinornis"" are considered valid, ""Dinornis"
"one of the largest and oldest clonal colonies on Earth. Among animals, the largest species are all marine mammals, specifically whales. The blue whale is believed to be the largest animal to have ever lived. The largest land animal classification is also dominated by mammals, with the African bush elephant being the most massive of these. The largest single-stem tree by wood volume and mass is the giant sequoia (""Sequoiadendron giganteum""), native to Sierra Nevada and California; it typically grows to a height of and in diameter. Multiple-stem trees such as banyan can be enormous. Thimmamma Marrimanu in India spreads"
"two koala species co-existed during the Pleistocene, occupying the same arboreal niche. The reason for the extinction of the larger of the two about 50,000 years ago is unknown, although there are various hypotheses for the extinction. The giant koala is an arboreal marsupial weighing about twice as much as a koala, about 30 kg. It is known as the largest tree dwelling marsupial that has ever lived. Scientists say that there is a clear similarity in the physical appearance from the modern koala. It is assumed that the diet of the giant koala is eucalyptus leaves, and that the"
"other members of Palaeognathae and thus the flighted tinamous are the sister group to the extinct moa. It is distinctive in its appearance, with a long neck and legs, and can run for a long time at a speed of or even up to about , the fastest land speed of any bird. The common ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest eggs of any living bird (extinct elephant birds of Madagascar and the giant moa of New Zealand laid larger eggs). The common ostrich's diet consists mainly of plant matter, though it also eats"
"lacking even the vestigial wings which all other ratites have. They were the dominant herbivores in New Zealand's forest, shrubland and subalpine ecosystems for thousands of years, and until the arrival of the Māori were hunted only by the Haast's eagle. Moa extinction occurred around 1300–1440 ± 20 years, primarily due to overhunting by Māori. Although moa skeletons were traditionally reconstructed in an upright position to create impressive height, analysis of their vertebral articulation indicates that they probably carried their heads forward, in the manner of a kiwi. The spine was attached to the rear of the head rather than"
"Josephoartigasia monesi Josephoartigasia monesi, an extinct species of South American caviomorph rodent, is the largest rodent known, and lived from about 4 to 2 million years ago during the Pliocene to early Pleistocene. The species is one of two in the genus ""Josephoartigasia"", the other being ""J. magna"". ""J. monesi"" is sometimes called the giant pacarana, after its closest living relative, the pacarana (""Dinomys branickii"") in the family Dinomyidae. The species may have weighed a ton, considerably larger than any living rodent. The skull of the holotype is long, and the remaining incisor is more than in length. The total"
"recorded extinction of megafauna occurred in New Zealand, where by 1500 AD, just 200 years after settling the islands, ten species of the giant moa birds were hunted to extinction by the Māori. A second wave of extinctions occurred later with European settlement. In more recent times, overexploitation has resulted in the gradual emergence of the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development, which has built on other concepts, such as sustainable yield, eco-development and deep ecology. Overexploitation doesn't necessarily lead to the destruction of the resource, nor is it necessarily unsustainable. However, depleting the numbers or amount of the resource"
"the surviving lemur species. They include the giant aye-aye, three to five times as heavy as the extant species. ""Megaladapis"", which had three species, reached the size of orangutans. The eight sloth lemurs show evolutionary convergence with the South American sloths; ""Palaeopropithecus"" was chimpanzee-sized, while ""Archaeoindris"" grew to over 200 kg, more massive than a silverback gorilla. Giant fossa (""Cryptoprocta spelea""): The fossil record of Madagascar has yielded the remains of a recently extinct fossa which was about a quarter larger than the living species, making it close to the size of an ocelot. This species was believed to have"
"extinct because its food source became extinct. The moa were several species of flightless birds that were a food source for the Haast's eagle. Extinction as a result of climate change has been confirmed by fossil studies. Particularly, the extinction of amphibians during the Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse, 305 million years ago. A 2003 review across 14 biodiversity research centers predicted that, because of climate change, 15–37% of land species would be ""committed to extinction"" by 2050. The ecologically rich areas that would potentially suffer the heaviest losses include the Cape Floristic Region, and the Caribbean Basin. These areas might see"
"15 species. The extinct ancestors of modern whales are the Archaeoceti. While cetaceans were historically thought to have descended from mesonychids, molecular evidence supports them as a relative of Artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates). Cetaceans belong to the order Cetartiodactyla (formed by combining Cetacea + Artiodactyla) and their closest living relatives are hippopotamuses and other hoofed mammals (camels, pigs, and ruminants), having diverged about 50 million years ago. Cetaceans range in size from the and Maui's dolphin to the and blue whale, which is also the largest animal ever known to have existed. Several species exhibit sexual dimorphism. They have streamlined bodies"
"Moa-nalo The moa-nalo are a group of extinct aberrant, goose-like ducks that lived on the larger Hawaiian Islands, except Hawaii itself, in the Pacific. They were the major herbivores on most of these islands until they became extinct after human settlement. The moa-nalo (the name literally means ""lost fowl""; an ""s"" is not added for the plural) were unknown to science, having been wiped out before the arrival of Captain James Cook (1778), until the early 1980s, when their subfossil remains were discovered in sand dunes on the islands of Molokai and Kauai. Subsequently, bones were found on Maui, Oahu,"
"a sclerophyll forest developed about a thousand years later. Earlier increases in sclerophyll vegetation during shifts to cooler, drier conditions about 120,000 and 75,000 years ago did not have any obvious impact on megafaunal abundance. Diprotodon Diprotodon, meaning ""two forward teeth"", is the largest known marsupial to have ever lived. Along with many other members of a group of species collectively known as the ""Australian megafauna"", it existed from approximately 1.6 million years ago until extinction some 46,000 years ago (through most of the Pleistocene epoch). ""Diprotodon"" species fossils have been found in sites across mainland Australia, including complete skulls"
"arrival of humans and non-native placental mammals) was the Haast's eagle; however, recent evidence from coprolites has shown that they also hosted several groups of host-specific parasites, including nematode worms. Heavy-footed moa The heavy-footed moa (""Pachyornis elephantopus"") is a species of moa from the family Dinornithidae. This moa was widespread only in the South Island of New Zealand, and its habitat was the lowlands (shrublands, dunelands, grasslands, and forests). It was a ratite and a member of the order Struthioniformes. The Struthioniformes are flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate. The origin of"
"their population size. Their extinction (along with all of the other species of moa) relatively soon after the arrival of humans suggests that overhunting and habitat destruction were responsible. It is thought that the last of the crested moa survived in habitats that were less easily accessed by humans. Pachyornis australis The crested moa, ""Pachyornis australis"", is a species of moa from the family Dinornithidae. It is one of the 11 known species of moa to have existed. Moas are grouped together with emus, ostriches, kiwis, cassowaries, rheas, and tinamous in the clade Palaeognathae. Some of the species of this"
"the southern areas that they have been found in. A 2009 genetic study showed that ""Euryapteryx curtus"" and ""Euryapteryx gravis"" were synonyms. A 2010 study explained size differences among them as sexual dimorphism. A 2012 morphological study interpreted them as subspecies instead. The cladogram below follows a 2009 analysis by Bunce ""et al."": Broad-billed moa The broad-billed, stout-legged moa or coastal moa (""Euryapteryx curtus"") is an extinct species of moa. These moa lived in both the North and the South Islands of New Zealand, and on Stewart Island. Its habitat was in the lowlands (dunelands, forests, shrublands, and grasslands). It"
"extinct beyond reasonable doubt. The largest and most secure population above Waiākea were driven from its habitat in 1984 when the area was devastated by a lava flow from Mauna Loa. The ""ōū"" was restricted to the mid-elevation ōhia lehua (""Metrosideros polymorpha"") forests of the Big Island and the Alakai Wilderness Preserve on Kauai. More recently it became restricted to ""ōhia"" lehua forest. The ōū is one of the most mobile species of Hawaiian honeycreepers. Although it was not very active and usually slow-moving, it had remarkable stamina and when flying, would cover great distances. It is one of the"
"of both share all essential characters. Size differences can be explained by a north-south cline combined with temporal variation such that specimens were larger during the Otiran glacial period (the last ice age in New Zealand). Similar temporal size variation is known for the North Island ""Pachyornis mappini"". Some of the other size variation for moa species can probably be explained by similar geographic and temporal factors. The earliest moa remains come from the Miocene Saint Bathans Fauna. Known from multiple eggshells and hindlimb elements, these represent at least two species of already fairly large sized species. The currently recognised"
"Māori arrived in a forested land with abundant birdlife, including several now extinct species weighing between and each. Other species, also now extinct, included a swan, a goose and the giant Haast's eagle, which preyed upon the ""moa"". Marine mammals—seals in particular—thronged the coasts, with evidence of coastal colonies much further north than those which remain . Huge numbers of ""moa"" bones—estimated to be from between 29,000 and 90,000 birds—have been located at the mouth of the Waitaki River, between Timaru and Oamaru on the east coast of the South Island. Further south, at the mouth of the Shag River"
"South Island giant moa The South Island giant moa (""Dinornis robustus"") is a member of the moa family. It was a ratite and a member of the order Dinornithiformes. The Dinornithiformes are flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate. The origin of these birds is becoming clearer as it is now believed that early ancestors of these birds were able to fly and flew to the southern areas in which they have been found. The South Island giant moa was the biggest of them all. Adult females stood up to 2 metres (6"
"Ao (turtle) Ao (Chinese: , ""Áo"") is a large marine turtle in Chinese mythology. He was thought to have lived in the South China Sea during the time of the formation of the world. When the goddess Nüwa, creator of mankind, was repairing the sky after a disaster, she chopped off Ao’s four legs and used them as supports. Another myth claims that Ao still lives and resides in the Bohai Sea, where he carries the three islands of the Eight Immortals (Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou) upon his back. He is thought to have been an influence on the later"
"feedback mechanisms decrease nitrogen availability, resulting in reduced forage production, decreased nitrogen concentrations, and reduced mammalian herbivore biomass. Castoroides Castoroides, or giant beaver, is an extinct genus of enormous beavers that lived in North America during the Pleistocene. C. leiseyorum and its northern sister species Castoroides ohioensis, were the largest beavers to ever exist. Species of ""Castoroides"", also known as giant beavers, were much larger than modern beavers. Their average length was approximately , and they could grow as large as . The weight of the giant beaver could vary from to . This makes it the largest known rodent"
"in New Zealand such as the moas and ""Hieraaetus moorei"" (a giant eagle); numerous species in Madagascar: giant lemurs, including ""Megaladapis"", ""Palaeopropithecus"" and the gorilla-sized ""Archaeoindris"", three species of hippopotamus, a giant tortoise, the ""Voay""-crocodile and the gigantic ""Aepyornis""; various giant tortoise species from the Mascarenes; a dwarf ""Stegodon"" on Flores and a number of other islands; land turtles and crocodiles in New Caledonia; giant owls and dwarf ground sloths in the Caribbean; giant geese and moa-nalo (giant ducks) in Hawaii; and dwarf elephants and dwarf hippos from the Mediterranean islands. The Canary Islands were also inhabited by an endemic"
"Cervalces latifrons Cervalces latifrons, the broad-fronted moose, was a large, moose-like deer of the holarctic regions of Europe and Asia dating from the Pleistocene epoch. It is believed to be the largest species of deer that ever existed, larger than its North American relative ""Cervalces scotti"", ""Megaloceros"", and the modern moose. This species is believed to have become extinct around 10,000 years ago. ""Cervalces latifrons"" was first described by Mr Randall Johnson in 1874. A frontal bone attached to part of an antler of a previously unknown species of deer was found at low tide on the beachfront at Happisburgh,"
"Mauisaurus Mauisaurus (""Māui lizard"") is a genus of plesiosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period around 77 million years ago in what is now New Zealand. It was the largest plesiosaur, and perhaps the largest marine reptile in New Zealand waters at the time. Numerous specimens have been attributed to this genus in the past, but a 2017 paper restricts ""Mauisaurus"" to the lectotype and declares it dubious. At 68 cervical vertebrae, ""Mauisaurus"" is notable for having one of the longest necks (in terms of vertebra number) of any plesiosaur. ""Mauisaurus"" was fairly large, reaching over in length. Like"
"huge beaks and massive skulls superficially similar to the carnivorous South American ""terror birds"" (phorusrhacids). The largest known species, ""G. gigantea"" could grow to the size of the largest moas, and reached about in maximum height. The skull of ""G. gigantea"" was huge compared to the body and powerfully built. The beak was extremely tall and compressed (flattened from side to side). Unlike other species of ""Gastornis"", ""G. gigantea"" lacked characteristic grooves and pits on the underlying bone. The 'lip' of the beak was straight, without a raptorial hook as found in the predatory phorusrhacids. The nostrils were small and"
"tiger, lion, Aurochs, Short-faced bear, giant sloths, ""Gigantopithecus"" and others. Isolated places such as Australia, Madagascar, New Zealand and islands in the Pacific saw the evolution of large birds and even reptiles such as the Elephant bird, moa, Haast's eagle, ""Quinkana"", ""Megalania"" and ""Meiolania"". The severe climatic changes during the ice age had major impacts on the fauna and flora. With each advance of the ice, large areas of the continents became totally depopulated, and plants and animals retreating southwards in front of the advancing glacier faced tremendous stress. The most severe stress resulted from drastic climatic changes, reduced living"